ACEP, Others Ask Licensure Boards, Hospitals to Support Workers’ Mental Health

As part of Suicide Prevention Month in September, ACEP joined Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation and the ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare to encourage licensure board and hospitals to take action to prevent suicide in the health care workforce. Notable progress already has been made. The coalition’s Wellbeing First Champion Challenge has helped 34 licensure boards and 375 hospitals verify that their licensing or credentialing applications are free from intrusive mental health questions and stigmatizing language.

“This coalition is instrumental in the vital work to preserve and protect health care workers’ mental health,” said Aisha Terry, MD, MPH, FACEP, Immediate Past President of ACEP. “There are still too many physicians who avoid seeking mental health care out of legitimate fear they could lose their professional license or face career setbacks due to stigma surrounding treatment. Together, we are driving critical changes to reduce barriers to mental health care and will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that those who manage our nation’s health care safety net are empowered to seek the mental health care they need and deserve.”

Licensure boards, hospitals, health systems, and insurance companies are encouraged to use the coalition’s licensing and credentialing toolkits to audit and change (as needed) their applications, forms, and addendums to be free of intrusive mental health questions and stigmatizing language. By then verifying the applications with the coalition, they can join the ranks of Wellbeing First Champions and further safeguard the mental health and wellbeing of health workers nationwide.

The coalition agreed that, like everyone, health workers deserve the right to pursue mental health care without fear of losing their job. However, overly invasive mental health questions in licensing and credentialing applications prevent health workers from seeking support and increases the risk of suicide. Such questioning tends to be broad or stigmatizing, such as asking about past mental health care and treatment, which has no bearing on a health worker’s ability to provide care and violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Wellbeing First Champions for Licensing reports that:

• Twenty-nine state medical boards have been recognized as Wellbeing First Champions, representing a 16 percent increase from last year, with Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia now recognized.
• For the first time, a state dental board (Texas) and four state nursing boards (Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma) are recognized as Wellbeing First Champions.
• Additionally, in collaboration with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, state pharmacy boards are actively auditing and verifying their applications to be recognized in the coming year.

The Wellbeing First Champions for Credentialing reports that:

• 375 hospitals across the country have been recognized as Wellbeing First Champions, representing a 400 percent increase from last year (75 hospitals).
• Jackson and Coker Locums Tenens and Envision Healthcare also verified their internal applications and forms.
• For the first time, an insurance company (PacificSource Health Plans) is recognized as a Wellbeing First Champion.

ACEP Tells Congress It Must Fix Flawed Medicare Payment System

Medicare cuts are looming unless Congress acts. That’s why ACEP and more than 100 organizations are urging Congress to provide clinicians with the financial stability needed to ensure access to high-quality care.

“Step one is ensuring that Medicare payments to clinicians in 2025 and beyond are adjusted each year with an inflationary update,” the group wrote in a letter to the four highest-ranking members of the Senate and House of Representatives. “Congress must act before the end of 2024 to provide clinicians with the financial stability needed to ensure beneficiaries continue to have access to high-quality care.

The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule is the only payment system within Medicare that lacks an inflationary update. Bipartisan legislation would add a permanent inflationary update, and two additional bills have been introduced to change budget neutrality requirements. The letter points out that “clinicians continue to face ongoing financial

Scan or click to visit the ACEP Advocacy Action Center.

challenges operating their practices since the Medicare payment system has failed to keep pace with inflation. In 2025, the proposed 2.8 percent payment reduction will coincide with an expected 3.6 percent increase in medical practice cost inflation, as measured by the Medicare Economic Index. When adjusted for inflation, Medicare physician payments have decreased by 29 percent from 2001 to 2024. This is clearly not sustainable.”

Please voice your support for stabilizing Medicare physician payment by visiting the ACEP Advocacy Action Center.

Remembering Dr. Stewart

Longtime ACEP member and emergency medicine pioneer Ronald Stewart passed away on October 21 after a prolonged illness. He was 82.

Dr. Stewart

A 1986 winner of the prestigious James D. Mills Award for his outstanding contributions to the specialty, Dr. Stewart was widely known for his pioneering role as one of the first physician medical directors in EMS. His expertise and passion for pre-hospital care were highlighted in popular culture when he served as a medical consultant for the iconic TV show Emergency! The character Dr. Bracken, who worked alongside Johnny and Roy, was inspired by his work. This public recognition not only brought EMS into the spotlight but also highlighted the critical role physicians like Dr. Stewart played in shaping the future of emergency care.

Known for a lifetime of leadership in the ED, Dr. Stewart became Medical Director for the Pittsburgh EMS system, where his vision and dedication revolutionized emergency care. His influence further grew as he developed the Emergency Medicine Residency Program at the University of Pittsburgh, which would go on to train countless emergency physicians. After his time in Pittsburgh, Dr. Stewart returned to his native Nova Scotia, where his contributions continued to advance emergency medicine. As the Minister of Health for the province, he developed a comprehensive EMS system, which included groundbreaking efforts in community paramedicine.

His contributions were so significant that Canada honored him with its highest civilian award, the Order of Canada Companion. His work in Nova Scotia continues to serve as a model for EMS systems. A memoir about his life, “Treat Them Where They Lie,” was recently released by Nimbus Publishing Limited. Co-author Jim Meek and Dr. Stewart tell of his role in the development of modern emergency medicine.

ACEP Task Force to Look at AI

Your opinions are needed by ACEP’s AI Task Force in a quick survey related to artificial intelligence in the emergency department. The survey will help the Task Force in its objectives to:

Scan or click to take the survey.

• Explore the current landscape of AI utilization in emergency medicine.
• Determine who would benefit from AI and strategies to avoid bias.
• Propose best practices for preparing emergency physicians and their teams using AI.
• Understand the stakes of AI in emergency medicine for privacy, HIPAA compliance, and risk management.
• Study the use of AI across the phases of ED care.
• Determine best practices for responding to AI and system failures.
• Organize knowledge gained from objectives into an electronic toolkit.